The economic challenge facing Wisconsin and Milwaukee has never been greater and the need to collaborate and work smarter never more important. Recognizing the need to focus our efforts and make an impact, the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board (MAWIB) organized and hosted two events to bring together key partners who are ready to address the workforce challenges facing the State and the Milwaukee area.

The March 5th "Best Practices for Implementing a Successful Summer Youth Employment Program," sponsored by the MAWIB, the Wisconsin Workforce Development Association and the State Department of Workforce Development brought together the 11 workforce boards from around the State to learn about developing or expanding summer Youth Employment programs. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funding for an expanded Summer Youth program. The conference covered everything needed to implement a summer youth employment program within the WIA guidelines and the sharing of "best practices" from urban and rural settings to ensure that these summer employment opportunities and work experiences are of the highest quality.

On March 17, 2009 over 50 community-based workforce development organizations participated in the MAWIB sponsored "2009 CBO Summit: Brainstorming New Solutions for Old Challenges."  The purpose of the CBO Summit was to provide an overview of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and increase coordination and strategic planning efforts.

The tone of the day was set with a welcome by Milwaukee Mayor Barrett. He talked about the ARRA and emphasized the need to get people working as soon as possible - while maintaining strong program oversight, transparency and efficient utilization of funds. MAWIB staff facilitated small group discussions on identifying major obstacles for individuals to get and keep a job and the possible creative and collaborative approaches to overcoming these barriers. The groups also discussed what technical assistance is needed to enable them to better meet their organization's goals. The day ended with an active and positive discussion recapping the groups' ideas on possible collaborations and how to build the capacity to best address workforce development needs.